I'm back!!
After 12 nights on the Pacific Aria
Pacific Aria Cruise Ship | The Fleet | P&O Cruises AustraliaWe left out of Brisbane and after a couple of 'sea days' were originally ment to go to to the Isle of Pines, but apparantly the jetty was being fixed so we got changed to Noumea. We wernt overly impressed by Noumea last time, but a bit of googling found the aquarium
Aquarium des Lagons - Nouvelle CalédonieThey did a good family deal in the local currency for the family. We did consider Duck Island as well which would have provided an opportunity for the kids to snorkel but the weather wasn't on our side, so I kept that idea for next time. Walked from the aquarium to the Bay of Lemons for a beer and some wifi and then made our way back to the ship. All in all a better than expected day in a place that we didn't really have fond memories of.
We then made our way to Mystery Island. It is an unpopulated Island that seems to serve as the airport for the surrounding Islands, and a tourist attraction for Cruise Ships access is by a short trip in the Ship's tender, which is nice in itself.
Mystery Island (Aneityum Island): 2018 All You Need to Know Before You Go (with Photos)The kids had a ball snorkeling, the area we did last year had a nasty current so we had to move to a less impressive area. None the less the kids still had a ball. By all reports the meals offered by the locals (Freshly caught seafood) were delicious and fairly priced. They also apparantly had a beer that was 7.2% that knocked a few heads off. The sail away on sunset was one of the highlights of the trip. Standing on the back deck of the ship watching the sun set (with a beer in hand).
Another Sea Day and we found ourselves docked in Suva. Another place I had heard was less than impressive, so again I googled and found a local tour mob that hooked the kids and I up with a taxi for a three hour tour. The weather was again against us, so we missed the waterfalls as the tracks wern't overly cool. The taxi took us to Naimatanakilagi Village and we were shown around. We were offered some food which we declined (still full from breakfast) and they did a couple of dances. It was good for the kids and I to be reminded how other people less fortunate live. They still rely on substance farming and tourist visits to survive. I'm sure the tour company has plenty of other villages they could use to drive the price down..
The taxi took us back to Suva and I declined an offer to be dropped at the local shops and we went back to the ship.
The next day we hit Port Denarau which involved another boat trip to the shore. Because the distance was much greater, a couple of Catamarans were employed to assist. We got to shore reasonably quickly and used another hop on hop off bus ($8fj for adults free for kids)
Bula Bus (Denarau Island): 2018 All You Need to Know Before You Go (with Photos). We found ourselves at a resort where the kids had a swim and more wifi allowed a catch up with current events. Back to the ship for another sea day.
We then hit Port Vila where the main attraction is the cheap Duty Free shopping. 4l of spirits for the misses for $72 AUD. I priced it at over $200 at Dan Murphys. Getting to the shop we took a 'water taxi' which is a fiberglass boat driven by outboard motor. I really enjoyed this method of transport last time and for $5aud a head return it is a nice way to get into town. Captain Bucko was a laugh too, and spotted us on the shore when other boatmen were trying to convince us he had gone and sting another $20 out of us (what they didn't know was we saw him leave from the Cafe with another party 10 min before, so were waiting for him regardless). He got rid of them and got us back to the ship where we walked through the markets leading back to the ship where the kids conned some more trinkets out of us.
We then left Port Vila for the long treck home. Which turned out to be longer than expected due to 5-6 meter seas. We arrived in Brisbane some 6 hours late. To their credit the food and drinks kept flowing. So we had a nice cruise up the Brisbane River back to port in the nice winter sun, rather than waking up to find the ship docked (It also allowed us to hit it a bit harder the night before not being required to be off the ship at 820am as originally planed. Something I took full advantage of.
My daughter has issues with her diet and can't eat Gluten or Dairy. To say they went above and beyond would be an understatement, there was one dish served to her that wasn't correct but it was identified by my daughter and replaced quickly. In general the food was good, not 5* resturant quality, but you not paying those prices.
The kids really enjoyed kids club, and within a day had friends and were keen to get up there. Which of course allows some quiet time for parents. The ability to go out after dinner for some drinks and entertainment really makes the cruise for us. We met some really talanted performers including this bloke who served as the paino man. He played an excellent versions of 'Am I ever going to see your face again', 'Highway to Hell' and 'Alice'. After 10pm when the shops shut. After a few nights he introduced us to his original work.
Hunter deBlanc - Sydney (Live & Unplugged) - YouTubeAnd the more poppy version which is going to get some radio coverage by all accounts.
Hunter deBlanc - Sydney (Official Lyric Video) - YouTubeThe drinks package was well used, and service was fast (some would say too fast
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The ship isn't 5 star and has been in parts well used but is a happy place to be. Certainly I didn't hear too many grumbles as I walked around the ship.
So back to reality, and a 6am start on Monday.
